Chapter 151
Evelyn’s POV
All I could do was blankly stare at the man across from me. It took a whole minute to process what he was saying.
For a second, I thought I’d misheard him. “What?” I croaked.
“Last night, when you were lying on that cot, you asked me, ‘Why couldn’t we share in a real relationship?
My eyes grew wide as the realization sank in. “I…I did say that,” I whispered.
Kane smirked. “In fact, I believe your real words were ‘fuck the contract,” he added.
My mouth fell open as the smooth sound of his laughter filled the space around us.
“Oh, my Goddess.” I felt a subtle blush take over my cheeks. “I’m going to simply chalk that all up to exhaustion.”
Kane took a tentative sip of his water. His devious smile stayed firmly in place. “Oh, I don’t know. I think I might like this unseen brazen side you have,” he teased.
“Can we please focus back on what you were trying to say before?” I asked with a hint of desperation.
One of the kitchen staff came out with our dinner plates. Upon taking the silver plate covers off, I saw that it was especially cooked lobster with scalloped potatoes and fresh veggies.
“This looks amazing.” It brought me right back to that one restaurant he’d taken me to months ago.
Kane smiled and thanked the staff while the two of us dug into our meal. I savored each perfectly cooked bite, savoring the delicious flavors that I hadn’t realized how much I missed.
When our empty plates were taken away, we were asked if we wanted any sort of tea or coffee. Kane declined on both of our behalf. He promptly stood up from the table and extended his hand out for me to
take.
“I thought we could go for a walk through the back gardens,” he suggested.
I eagerly nodded and took his hand, grateful for any chance to get out of the house for a little while.
The sun had set well beneath the horizon, giving the small lanterns along the path to give off gentle glow. Kane remained close to my side while I tried to overcome the bashful timidness that settled into my nerves.
“Can you explain to me what it is you meant before?” I inquired. “Are you…Are you saying that you want to have a real relationship with me?”
His eyes dropped to the table. “Yes,” he answered.
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I didn’t want to come off as deterred by his admission. However, it was a bit bewildering to me as to why he would want to make things real between us.
Kane must have sensed the cloud of trepidation form around me.
“Kane, you know where I stand when it comes to us. I told you as much last night. And, I don’t want you to do this out of some kind of sense of obligation.”
Immediately, his muscles grew tense in his seat. A primal look rushed across his eyes, causing my heart to skip a beat.
His voice came out rough. “I assure you, this is not some obligation I’m trying to fill.”
My brows pulled together. “Then what?” I asked softly.
Kane stopped short and let out a dry chuckle. “Is it so hard to believe that I actually possess my own feelings toward you?”
I shifted slightly. “Well, I… Maybe a little,” I muttered quietly.
Kane’s look turned incredulous. I swiftly held my hands out in a sign of defense.
“You have always been a fortress when it comes to your own self-preservation,” I told him. “Whether you’re aware of it or not, you wear a mask to cover up how you’re truly feeling. I get it.”
Kane cast his gaze toward the ground. “I can’t help it.”
“I know that,” I commended. “You’re the alpha of this pack. The very weight of its welfare and security rests almost solely on your shoulders. You can’t afford to appear weak in front of anyone.”
My intentions weren’t to embarrass Kane. It certainly wasn’t often that I witnessed him being so open. The last thing I wanted was to make him feel uncomfortable for choosing to be vulnerable.
But I also needed him to be aware of what he was trying to put forward. Our relationship was nothing short of complicated. Overall, it was an arrangement wrapped up in one lie after another.
How could I possibly believe that he was being genuine?
“In that case, why not give me the chance to prove it?” he asked with a distinctive hint of confidence.
“Prove it?”
He curtly nodded. “Let me show you that what I’m feeling is real.” I glanced down to find him extending his hand for me to take once more.
This time it was different. In the pit of my stomach, I felt as though I was making a deal with the devil, without knowing all the possible stipulations and loopholes. Yet, I slid my hand through his palm.
A knowing smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Kane lifted my hand up to his lips, where he placed a chaste kiss to the top of my knuckles.
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Oh, Goddess, I thought. Just what the hell had I gotten myself into now?
The next morning, I woke up with a start. I wanted to get back to work, knowing I couldn’t mentally take a whole new day of lounging about. Kane wasn’t too keen on the idea, but ultimately he agreed, as long as I stayed out of the restricted areas.
When I got down to the medical ward, I was bemused to find my team welcoming me back. Diana was the first to rush up to me and wrap her arms around my shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m sorry for worrying everyone.”
She waved off my apology and caught me up on what I’d missed. With no new admissions and no trouble from any of the feral rogues, I was easily able to jump back into my normal routine.
By the afternoon, most of the staff was ready to break for a quick lunch break. I was in the midst of treating one of the soldiers who had injured himself during morning drills. Having carefully wrapped his lower arm, I applied gentle pressure to the torn muscle.
Within a few minutes, his wrist and forearm were good as new. The man graced me with a kind smile.” Thank you, Luna.”
“It’s no problem,” I told him. It felt good to have a chance to see my abilities working in real time again.
“Evelyn, are you ready to head out?” Diana called out.
“I’ll be right there,” I answered.
Just as I turned around to place down my clipboard, I found Kane leaning against the doorway. My heart
leaped into my throat.
“Sorry to startle you,” he said with a boyish smile.
“What brings you down here?” I questioned.
He pushed himself off the wall and languidly glided over to me. “I spoke to Henri and a few others regarding the marks you found on the rogues’ necks,” he mentioned. “Everyone is in agreement to let the
treatments continue on.”
My face lit up with excitement; I couldn’t contain my contentment.
“And with that, there’s something else they brought up.” I gave a puzzled look. “We believe that a case study should be started on these feral rogues. And we want you to be the one to conduct it.”
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